Synopsis: Poor Pakistan has been getting pile-drived and pummeled with painful plague after plague….and it has culminated in a stand-off with their American allies! Say what? Yes, Pakistan has for years now been on the brink of total chaos and collapse, and this semester has increased the hurt: first, a flood of biblical proportions inundated the state, which in turn caused the increase of terrorist Taliban activity, which in turn resulted in increased cross-border attacks into Pakistan from US/NATO troops chasing down Taliban elements….and unfortunately several Pakistani soldiers were killed in those American-led raids. Crap. That caused the Pakis to become so pissed that they shut down the NATO supply lines through their territory, increasing the tension between all parties even more! But perhaps we should back up this supply line and cover some background of this entire area to better understand this complex situation unfolding in Pakistan right now. Here is a three-part plaidcast on the whole messy back-story of the Af-Pak border area, and at the end of those 3 we will revisit the current Paki status, which is disintegrating rapidly…just as their relationship with the US and ‘the West’ is reaching an all-time low.
